After that bad news of antisemitism* in Edison, New Jersey, I had to post some good news of the Temple in Highland Park re-opening its sanctuary three years after a terrible fire. I haven’t been inside the new sanctuary, but at some point I’ll go over there with my camera and take photos.

Someone remarked that the shortest Yom Kippur service in Highland Park is at the Temple. The longest is where we attend, Congregation Etz Ahaim – not even a break this year. One of the reasons is the beautiful piyutim (liturgical poetic songs) sung by our visiting chazzan, Refael Ishran. I started listening to the CD of the chazzan in the hopes of preparing a post about the piyutim. Stay tuned.

*If you want to know why I spelled antisemitism without a hyphen, you will have to take Prof. Roni Stauber course on the History of Zionism, coming to you online for free sometime later this fall. Stay tuned for more on that, too.

No break for my husband (I came late and left early – benefits of taking care of a seven year old). I believe they started at 8:30 am? But because of the chazzan (there is also someone’s father from France who layns beautifully), it is such a pleasant, inspiring tefila. They do have that auction in the middle, and the only person who works hard at that point is the president.

I’m not sure how to react to the antisemitism, either. On the one hand, I could say the guy over in what was once Persia is a much greater threat, this is no big deal. On the other hand, one must pay attention. We live an area where there are a lot of visible Jews. Some are showing they don’t like us here.

Note: the first attack was on a Yeshiva student. The second on a Conservative temple. The two may not mingle in their own lives, but to the antisemite, they are the same.